Polymer Nanocomposites: Characterization, Applications

Abstract:Organic polymeric composite materials are useful in applications sucgh as light emitting diodes, electrochromic displays, smart windows, and field transistors, electromagnetic interference shielding devices, energy storage products such as batteries, super capacitors and fuel cells. Nanoparticles of conducting polymers are formed by chemical or electrochemical synthesis by precipitation, crystallization, sol–gel transformation, emulsion polymerization. Molecular template nucleation is a method to design specific size, morphology and control. These reactions are important in design of wires, tubes, globules and discs. Conducting polymer nanowires are alternatives to silicon nanowires and carbon nanotubes due to their tunable conductivity, flexibility, chemical diversity, and ease of processing. The paper reports the preparation protocols of chemical synthesis, templated electrochemical synthesis, and electro-spinning. The main challenges are to build and control engineered polymeric materials at the nanometer (nm) scale important for current and future development of materials for a wide range of applications. The ‘phenomenal effect’ of these nanoparticles combined with bulk material makes them lighter, stronger, with high ductility. The size of the nanoparticle grains displayed specific properties in the bulk material. We describe easier processing, mixtures with other polymeric /non polymeric matrices to develop conducting polymer based nanocomposites or nanoconducting polymers.